Hapoel Jerusalem just got by Maccabi Rishon Lezion 100-93 in overtime in Israel Basketball League action as Khadeen Carrington hit the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of the regulation while Justin Smith and Jared Harper scored in money time and stopped a red-hot Khalil Ahmad to take the tight triumph.
Qua Grant and Ahmad were hot early on to spur Rishon on a 17-2 run and take a 24-23 lead after the opening period but Roi Huber, Yovel Zoosman and Cassius Winston hit their shots to give Jerusalem a 45-38 advantage at halftime.
JJ Kaplan and Harper each hit a trio of triples while Carrington sent the game into OT with a last-gasp triple to tie the contest at 86-86.
In the extra session, it was all Jerusalem as Smith put in a pair of baskets while Harper hit his shots from the line to seal the win.
Harper scored 18 points and Zoosman added 17 points for the Reds, while Ahmad scored 32 points and Kaplan put in 16 points for the defeated wine city squad.
Jerusalem coach Yonatan Alon spoke about the tough victory. “We scored 100 points against a team that gave us a hard time and we need to continue to improve."
"As for the game tying three," Alon said, "we were about to lose and I saw how they were defending Harper where they were going to have two guys on him and we went to Carrington who was wide open and he hit it. It was incredible.”
“This was a tough loss for us,” Rishon Lezion coach Sharon Drucker said. “We were there and we wanted to win, but we just came up short before the overtime period. We were naive or didn’t have the experience and we needed to make one stop. Once we went into the overtime we were exhausted.”
Zoosman also spoke about the win. “This was very close for us to lose this game and if Carrington didn’t hit that 3-pointer we would have lost. We have to do things a bit better than we did here and we have to have less ups and downs and need to play level basketball. Our opponents will always play us tough as they will with every big team.”
Kaplan also commented on the game from Rishon’s perspective. “That was a tough one and we will have a hard time going to sleep after this one. We have a lot to learn and we have a lot to show and a lot to give. We have fighters on this team and we will keep going.”
Meanwhile, Hapoel Holon downed Ness Ziona 82-70 as Hassan Martin dominated the paint, Xavier Munford hit his midrange and Netanel Artzi had an all around terrific performance for Danny Franco’s team spoiling Bryce Brown’s return to Amit Sherf’s squad.
The win moved the Purples’ league record to 3-0 with a Basketball Champions League game against Cholet coming up this week, while Ness Ziona dropped to 0-4 on the season.
Martin scored 18 points, Artzi chipped in with 15 points and Munford scored 13 points in the win while Desi Rodriguez scored 15 points as Isaiah Whitehead and Itay Moskovitz each scored 12 points for Ness Ziona in the loss.
Franco was thrilled with his team’s winning effort. “I’m very happy and content as to how we played this game and we don’t have that much time to prepare as we play at least two games per week. I wanted to see how we would do without Derrick Walton Jr, playing and we did well."
"I’m very happy as to how we played defensively and we are still working on our offense but we did see how some of the Israelis played together which they have done for so many years," Franco went on. "The guys off the bench also played well. I’m just very happy with how we played.”
“When you are playing a talented team you need to make sure you score when you have the opportunity to. We didn’t move fast enough but we were able to follow the game plan, however it just wasn’t enough," Sherf said, reflecting on his side’s defeat. "We have been struggling and we want to win next week with three games before the international break. We’re happy that Bryce is back and we will get him back into the swing of things.”
Elsewhere, Hapoel Tel Aviv got by Maccabi Ra’anana 89-72 thanks to fine play by Tyler Ennis in what was a tough contest at the Metrowest Arena that also saw Tomer Ginat having to go to the hospital with an apparent shoulder injury.
After a tight first half in which Joaquin Szuchman, Yotam Hanochi and Jase Townsend led the way for the hosts, while Ennis, Ginat and Johnathan Motley, as well as Ish Wainright, made their shots to pull away and take the win.
Ennis scored 15 points while Motley and Tai Odiase each scored 12 points in the win as Hanochi scored 22 points and Townsend put in 14 points for Ra’anana in the loss.
Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Dimitrios Itoudis gave his thoughts on the win. “We started a bit rusty but when we caught our rhythm we realized how the game should be played and we gave up 23 points in the first quarter, but after that we gave up under 20 [in each remaining quarter]. We had many assists, 28 and some you couldn’t see as there were extra passes as well. The opponent tried to use a zone defense to slow us down but eventually we ended up with close to 90 points.”
Ra’anana coach Shai Segalovich was stoic about his team’s loss. “We prepared for this game very well and we were able to keep ourselves with Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first half, but when they started to get confidence in their shooting they continued to score and we had trouble trying to keep up. They have so many tools and you can go head to head with them, but it’s not easy.”
“We played well in the second half and you can see how much depth we have – whether it’s one player at the small forward or power forward or playing with three guards," Tel Aviv’s Itay Segev summed up the win. "It’s incredible to be a part of this team. I’m here for the team to succeed and that’s what is most important for me. Whatever is in my power I’ll do to my best abilities.”
Kiryat Ata beats Bnei Herzliya, HaEmek defeats Beersheva
Also, Kiryat Ata defeated Bnei Herzliya 113-101 in an end-to-end battle that saw the hosts come out on top thanks to having a half-dozen players scoring in double digits, with Bodie Hume leading the way.
Hume scored 25 points, Noah Locke added 20 points and Yuval Hochstader scored 16 points in the win while Max Heidegger led Herzliya with 26 points and Chinanu Onuaku put in 17 points in the loss.
Finally, Hapoel HaEmek downed Hapoel Beersheba 90-81 after mounting a comeback after having been down 31-12 in the second quarter to take the home win.
Kyler Edwards scored 25 points while Kadin Shedrick, Niv Misgav and Elijah Childs all had 11 points in the victory. Beersheba’s CJ Elleby scored 24 points and Cody Demps put in 21 points in the loss.
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